Abstract: The study area which lies within Eldoret Municipality has experienced environmental problems as a result of the sale, land subdivisions for settlement and subsequent clearing of the wattle tree plantations that were owned and managed by EATEC. The extents of environmental consequences due to the clearing of the plantations are not fully understood and the necessary mitigation measures to manage these challenges have not been put in place.
The objective of this research study was to carry out an environmental assessment of the impacts of the clearing of the wattle tree plantations by the use of remote sensing and GIS techniques. The study sought to characterize the environment before and after the project implementation, assess and quantify the major environmental changes between 1995 and 2015 and identify the major environmental impacts and then propose mitigation measures to address the negative impacts.
Remote sensing Satellite images for the years 1995, 2000, 2003, 2010 and 2015 were classified and integrated with other data within GIS for assessment of the land use and land cover change.
The results reveals that the study area has experienced significant changes due to the clearing of the wattle tree plantations and increase in human settlement resulting in environmental challenges including decreased wetlands, decreased wattle tree plantations, and increased cropland and bare land. The research findings indicate that human activities have had a profound effect on the natural environment and are the main agent of environmental degradation. This study has proposed mitigation measures which if undertaken could address environmental challenges affecting the study area.
Keywords: Remote Sensing, GIS, wattle tree plantations, environmental assessment.
Title: Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Post Eatec Wattle Tree Plantations in Eldoret Municipality
Author: Jacob Shadiva Simeon, Charles N. Mundia
International Journal of Life Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-313X (Print), ISSN 2348-3148 (online)
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